1996 Suzuki Sidekick 4X4 1.6 from Guatemala

Summary:

Faults:

Headlamps' fuse blown because of a short circuit shortly after I bought it (repaired easily)

Rear door is not closing well, allowing rain water into vehicle.

General Comments:

I had a Tracker some time ago, and fell in love with the type of vehicle. This time I was looking for a reliable, cheap 4x4, and got this one as an offer. I really like it, compared to my previous Jetta obviously falls short in terms of accessories, but I know this little beast will take me farther for less.

7th Nov 2008, 19:11

The owner. I have had it for quite some time now and have been making 460km trips every two weeks, and must tell you, every time I use it, it uses less fuel, cruise speed is also acceptable and handles very nicely and easily around the tight bends on the road to the North of Guatemala. Very nice vehicle indeed. Accelerates easily and has never made me feel like it will not keep up to my demands on the road.

3rd Nov 2014, 17:20

Hi. Owner again. Due to the birth of our little baby, we no longer fit in our Sidekick. So, sadly, 60,000 miles, 2 clutch cables, 1 clutch pedal assembly, 1 full clutch kit, and its routine maintenance services, I decided to sell it. I am very pleased with the little beast and I'm sure the new owner will come to love it as much as we did.

I do keep hearing about transfer case binding if you use 4x4 on dry pavement. I'm assuming that it would be OK in dry dirt, but now I'm leary. It's been great in regular street driving in snow in 4H. Even with more of a dry performance street tire. Drives right past (55mph) those big 4X4 trucks (30mph) with no rear traction because of no weight in empty truck bed.

1996 Suzuki Sidekick JX 1.6L from North America

Summary:

Faults:

General Comments:

My sidekick was my moms before she passed. She bought it brand new in 96. It was the only red one on the lot! But since she passed my dad decided to give it to me.

It's a fantastic little SUV and it's the most reliable vehicle I've ever seen. It's a 4-door. Great gas mileage, runs great, smooth shifting clutch, and the 4WD works great. I love driving it in the snow. Especially since I put some bigger tires on it. But even before it went through snow great!

I recently put a glass-pack muffler on it which is almost pretty much a straight pipe, it sounds awesome!! Gave it a little bit more power too. I put a custom cold air intake on it so that gave it more power too. So it's a pretty quick little SUV. Of course not as fast as my 5.0 H.O. Lincoln Mark VII. But I love it. It's my second car, I plan to keep it for life, and then maybe pass it down to my little sister.

I recommend the Suzuki Sidekick to anyone, because they really are Sidekicks, always there for you.